FiberEUse · Project

Turning End-of-Life Composite Waste Into Profitable New Products at Industrial Scale

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Imagine you build a wind turbine blade or a car part out of super-strong carbon or glass fiber. When it wears out, you basically have to throw it in a landfill because nobody knows how to profitably recycle it. FiberEUse figured out how to take those old composite parts, break them down, and turn them into new high-value products — furniture, car components, even building materials. They ran 8 real demonstrations across Europe to prove it works, not just in a lab but at a scale that businesses can actually use.

By the numbers

industrial demonstrators validated across Europe

macro use-cases covering different composite types and recycling methods

consortium partners across 8 countries

industry partners in the consortium (60% industry ratio)

SMEs participating in the project

total project deliverables produced

The business problem

What needed solving

Composite materials (carbon and glass fiber) are everywhere — wind turbines, cars, aircraft, buildings — but when they reach end of life, most end up in landfills. Unlike metals, composites are extremely hard to recycle profitably. Companies face growing regulatory pressure and waste disposal costs with no viable circular solution for these high-value materials.

The solution

What was built

The project built and validated complete recycling and remanufacturing process-chains for both glass and carbon fiber composites, demonstrated through 8 industrial pilots. Key deliverables include validated demanufacturing processes with characterized recovered materials, and a physical and virtual library of recycled composite products showcasing their properties for potential buyers.

Audience

Who needs this

Wind turbine operators facing blade decommissioning with no recycling optionAutomotive manufacturers using CFRP who need circular economy complianceComposite waste recyclers looking for profitable processing technologiesConstruction companies seeking sustainable alternative materialsFurniture and consumer product manufacturers wanting recycled composite inputs

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Wind Energy

enterprise

Target: Wind turbine operators and decommissioning companies

If you are a wind energy company dealing with thousands of end-of-life turbine blades piling up with no recycling solution — this project demonstrated thermal recycling processes that recover long glass and carbon fibers from decommissioned blades and turn them into reusable materials for automotive and construction sectors. With 8 demonstrators validated across 3 use-cases, the technology has been proven at industrial scale.

Automotive Manufacturing

mid-size

Target: Automotive OEMs and tier-1 suppliers using carbon fiber composites

If you are an automotive manufacturer generating CFRP scrap from production or facing end-of-life vehicle regulations — this project built inspection, repair, and remanufacturing processes specifically for carbon fiber automotive parts. The adaptive design and manufacturing criteria enable a complete circular economy loop, turning your waste stream into a cost-saving material source.

Waste Management & Recycling

SME

Target: Composite waste processors and recycling companies

If you are a recycling company looking to expand beyond metals and plastics into the growing composite waste stream — this project validated complete demanufacturing process-chains with characterized recovered materials. They created a physical and virtual library of recycled glass and carbon fiber products, giving you a ready catalog of proven output applications to pitch to buyers.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What does it cost to implement these composite recycling processes?

The project data does not include specific cost figures for implementation. However, as an Innovation Action with 8 industrial demonstrators and 15 industry partners already involved, the economics were validated at pilot scale. Contact the coordinator for detailed cost-benefit data from the demonstrations.

Can this work at industrial scale, not just in a lab?

Yes — this was specifically designed for industrial scale. The project title says 'large scale demonstration' and delivered 8 demonstrators across 3 macro use-cases covering mechanical recycling, thermal recycling, and remanufacturing. The consortium included 15 industry partners (60% of the 25-member team) to ensure real-world applicability.

What about IP and licensing for these technologies?

The project involved 25 partners across 8 countries, so IP is likely shared among consortium members. Specific licensing terms would need to be negotiated with POLITECNICO DI MILANO as coordinator. The 22 deliverables document the processes in detail, and some technologies like UV-assisted 3D-printing and Physical Vapor Deposition metallization may have separate IP considerations.

Which types of composite waste can be processed?

The project covers both glass fiber reinforced polymers (GFRP) and carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP). Short GFRP goes through mechanical recycling for furniture, sport, and creative products. Long glass and carbon fibers from wind turbines and aerospace components go through thermal recycling (controlled pyrolysis) for automotive and building applications.

Is this compliant with EU waste regulations?

The project specifically included analysis of legislation barriers as part of its scope. As a Horizon 2020 Innovation Action under the circular economy topic (CIRC-01-2016-2017), it was designed to support industry transition to circular economy models that align with EU policy direction on composite waste.

What markets can recycled composite materials serve?

Based on the project objectives, validated markets include furniture, sport and creative products (from short glass fibers), automotive aesthetical and structural components, and building/construction materials (from long fibers). A virtual and physical library of demonstrated products was created to showcase properties and functionalities to potential buyers.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a heavyweight industrial consortium — 25 partners from 8 European countries with a 60% industry ratio (15 out of 25 partners), which is unusually high for EU projects and signals strong commercial intent. The coordinator is Politecnico di Milano, one of Europe's top technical universities, providing scientific credibility. With 5 SMEs in the mix alongside larger industrial players, the consortium spans from research through to market-ready companies. Countries represented (Austria, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Finland, France, Italy, UK) cover major European manufacturing and wind energy markets. The 3 universities and 4 research organizations provide the technical backbone, while the industrial majority ensures the solutions were designed for real factory floors, not just academic papers.

POLITECNICO DI MILANOCoordinator · IT
SAUBERMACHER DIENSTLEISTUNGS AGparticipant · AT
HOLONIX SRLparticipant · IT
FUNDACION TECNALIA RESEARCH & INNOVATIONparticipant · ES
AERNNOVA ENGINEERING DIVISION SAUparticipant · ES
BATZ SOCIEDAD COOPERATIVAparticipant · ES
SIEMENS GAMESA RENEWABLE ENERGY INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY S.L.participant · ES
TAMPEREEN KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SRparticipant · FI
CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHEparticipant · IT
INVENT INNOVATIVE VERBUNDWERKSTOFFEREALISATION UND VERMARKTUNG NEUERTECHNOLOGIEN GMBHparticipant · DE
RIVIERASCA SPAparticipant · IT
MAIER TECHNOLOGY CENTRE S COOPthirdparty · ES
MAIER SCOOPparticipant · ES
AERNNOVA AEROSPACE SAthirdparty · ES
AVK-INDUSTRIEVEREINIGUNG VERSTARKTEKUNSTSTOFFE EVparticipant · DE
DESIGNAUSTRIA (DA)participant · AT
EDAG ENGINEERING GMBHparticipant · DE
UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDEparticipant · UK

How to reach the team

Coordinator is POLITECNICO DI MILANO (Italy). Use SciTransfer's lookup service to get the project coordinator's direct contact.

Order a report on this consortium See POLITECNICO DI MILANO profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the FiberEUse team? SciTransfer can connect you with the right consortium partner for your specific composite recycling challenge — whether you need the recycling technology, the remanufacturing processes, or the market analysis.

Order a report on this topic More in Manufacturing & Industry 4.0